The Woodlands takes second in Lone Star Cup

Shining in silver

For the past six years the UIL has honored the best overall academic and athletic programs in Texas with the Lone Star Cup.

This year The Woodlands High School had its best finish in the Lone Star Cup standings, placing second with 78 points and tied with Southlake Carroll. Kingwood won the 5A Division with 102 points.

Oak Ridge placed fourth in the 4A Division with 65 points. Highland Park won the division with 122 points.

Standings are based on points earned through a team's success at district and state level UIL activities. A trophy and a $1,000 award were presented to the top high school in each of the five UIL classifications.

The Woodlands head football coach and athletics director Weldon Willig said that while a first-place finish is the desired result, he is nonetheless proud of the school's accomplishment this year.

"In retrospect certainly you'd like to have won everything," Willig said. "But to finish second in the state among all 5A schools is indeed quite an accomplishment. I'm very proud of our student/athletes and our coaches and everybody involved in the school and the people who support it.

"That meant a lot of people did lots of things really well in order for us to gain that honor."

The Woodlands had become a mainstay in the Lone Star Cup standings since its inception.

"We feel like we've got one of the best athletic programs in the state across the board," Willig said. "We do lots of things well. That's what our expectations are and we seem to just get better and better. Congratulations are in order for lots of people."

On the athletic field, the Highlanders won district championships in both boys' and girls' (region semifinalist) basketball, boys' cross country (region champs, second in state), girls' soccer (region semifinalist), boys' and girls' spring tennis, boys' (region champs, fourth at state) and girls' swimming, boys' (region champs, second at state) and girls' (region and state champs) golf, boys' track, and baseball (region semifinalist).

In addition, boys' wrestling was second at state while the girls' team was eighth at state. Football, girls' cross country, boys' soccer and team tennis all advanced to the postseason.

Though this was the highest finish for The Woodlands in the Lone Star Cup standings, the program did finish first prior to the current format.

"We won it when it was called Prime Sports," Willig noted. "That was a different format where you receive points for winning district championships in individual sports. Since we won team tennis and cross country and golf (this year), we got points for all of that. We get no points for that under (the Lone Star Cup) format.

"You get only points for district championships in team sports and then you have to have a state finish in the individual sports to get points."

Willig said that under the current format teams in the tougher districts have a much harder time accumulating points.

"I'm not taking anything away from Kingwood for winning it," Willig said. "But I think lots of people would say that their district might not be as competitive in all of the various sports.

"But not withstanding all of that, I congratulate them and we'll look to win it all next year."

Willig said he feels The Woodlands certainly would compete for the 2004 Lone Star Cup.

"We won it before (1995-96) when it was a different format," he said. "This is our highest finish under this format. So we're coming on and getting closer."